Have you been tinkering with the idea of setting up a bookshop? Whether your idea is borne out of pure love for books or you're just out to make money, you'll find these tips helpful.

1. Location must be strategic

First, you have to bear in mind that at present, Nigeria does not have an impressive reading populace. In my years of book retailing, I have come to realise that those who love to read are often so consumed by their everyday work routine that they hardly find time to read let alone visit bookshops. Thus, it is important that you carefully select the location of your bookshop. I strongly advise that you consider an area with a lot of leg traffic like a major bus stop, or a shop situated opposite the main gate of a tertiary institution, or the main road of a middle-class neighbourhood. The ideal shop should also have some frontage where you could display books and magazines with catchy titles. This is almost like "putting the books to their noses". The whole idea is to enhance visibility and patronage.

2. Identify your niche

Like in every other business, you must know your target market. Your target market would determine the kind of books you'll stock. For instance, a bookshop close to a university may find it appropriate to deal in textbooks and other academic materials since the target audience is the university community comprising students, lecturers etc. A bookshop close to a church with a large congregation may deal in Christian literature and self-help/motivational books. And if you're setting up shop in a highbrow or elitist neighbourhood, you may consider titles relating to business, wealth management, fitness, health and well-being; some popular foreign magazines (e.g Time magazine) and some modern African literature with Caucasian appeal would also not be a bad idea.

3. Ambience

The character and atmosphere of your shop must be appealing. A relaxed ambience would go a long way in attracting patronage. That is the secret behind the success of the malls springing up in major Nigerian cities. People like to shop where the atmosphere is relaxing. You should consider this when setting up your shop.\

It is also important to guard against your books getting dusty. Dusty books are generally not appealing. Make use of transparent plastic covers. This would enable you sell them as new no matter how long they stay on the shelf.

4. Use the Internet to your advantage

Alongside your physical shop, you should also consider having an online presence. This may entail opening an online bookstore with door-to-door delivery service. You may also feature on your website e-version of popular books or other downloadable content. Join major online book forums like goodreads, amazon and bookconvo for book ratings, pricing and to keep abreast of best selling authors and titles.

5. Pricing

A lot of factors come into play when setting prices- rent cost, electricity charges, and labour cost to mention a few. It is therefore important to source your books from publishers and major dealers to be able to sell at fair market rates. Bookconvo Resources offers consultancy services in this regard. You may visit www.bookconvo.com or send an email to bookconvoresources@gmail.com.

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